By Vivien Shao
Even though Rachel Davis has only worked in the Mission Hill neighborhood since July, she already has plans to help strengthen the bond amongst the Hill’s residents.
Davis currently has served as the General Manager at J.P. Licks on Tremont St., located by the Brigham Circle MBTA stop. Though she resides in Savin Hill, she has commuted to Mission Hill every day for work.
Her most vivid memory in the neighborhood, she said, are the ice cream socials held out on the plaza in the summertime. Bostonians would gather on the Hill to meet one another and enjoy ice cream, she said. The staff was very excited about it.
“Just watching everybody gather together and getting prepared for that, it was very eventful. We were happy,” she said.
Even though Davis has not worked on the Hill very long, she already has plans to organize more events for the community to come together, as they did in the summer.
Davis proposed utilizing the plaza space outside of One Brigham Circle more. Again, she looked out toward the 14,000 square foot space and said, “I really want to get together with the other business owners and see if they want to start having family days out there.”
While many families do reside in the Mission Hill neighborhood, Davis recognizes that college students make up a huge part of the community as well, and wants to make sure they feel a sense of belonging in the community as well.
Another, often marginalized, group of people on the Hill is its homeless population. Even though this is a widespread problem in many large metropolitans, like Boston, Davis thinks there are specific ways in which the Hill can help its homeless population.
“I see a lot of homeless people outside… I think that all of us businesses should get together and do something more about that too,” she said.
However, Davis remains hopeful about the future of Mission Hill. “I’m very optimistic,” she said. “Just seeing people help each other, knowing that they’re building a few extra places around here, opening other restaurants, it’s just a nice community here.”
About this project
The Scope’s student journalists spoke with community members in Mission Hill. #MissionHill100 is a collection of their stories.
